In accordance with the important remarks of President Xi Jinping on participating in global governance and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and based on the world-renowned achievements of education in Shanghai, the team headed by Professor Zhang Minxuan proposed to the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Shanghai Municipal Government in 2015, applying for the establishment of a Teacher Education Centre under the auspices of UNESCO, to participate in global education governance, expand the international influence of Chinese education and enhance national cultural soft power. After application by the government and two years of preparatory work, the 39^th General Conference of UNESCO decided to establish a Teacher Education Centre at the Shanghai Normal University by a no-debate vote at its headquarters in Paris in 2017.

Mission and Goal:

Building as a service provider, standard setter, research and resource management centre in the field of teacher education

Functions:

l   Knowledge production: Conduct academic research and disseminate pertinent findings on the advancement, evaluation and innovation in elementary and teacher education, drawing upon the expertise of esteemed professionals in these domains.

l   Capacity building: Establish elementary and teacher education institutions with multilevel training projects, and provide training in these fields for domestic and foreign personnel at all levels.

l   Technical support: Provide specialized services in the fields of elementary and teacher education for the least developed countries in Asia and Africa, with the full use of information and communication technology.

l   Information sharing: Enhance the close cooperation with the regional offices, national commissions, Category I institutes and Category II centres within the framework of UNESCO.